Apparatus for unwinding thread packages



Oct. 12, 1943. WQB. COOPER 2,331,454

' APPARATUS FORYUNWVINDING THREAD PACKAGES Filed May 21', 1941'- INVENTOR -Wz lfn'd 5f Coo her I BY I I MDW,W4AM

ATTORNEYS .Patented Oct. 12, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR PA UNWINDING THREAD CKAGES Wilfrid n. Cooper, Rome, Gel, minoi' to Tubize Chatillon Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application May 21, 1941, Serial No. 384,484

(Cl. 'l -88) 4Ciaims.

the unwinding of rayon packages comprisingeither a single thread, or a plurality of separate threads, and the delivery of the thread or threads to the spool of an automatically variable takeup device such as the take-up spool of a ringtwister or a cap-twister (hereinafter, for convenience, called a spool). The thread or threads from the rotated package are delivered at a uniform rate and, in certain operations un der uniform controlled tension, to a single spool whereon two or more threads are wound, or to separate spools whereon one thread is wound on a single spool. The peripheral speed of the package is preferably uniform and may be the same, or substantially the same, as the speed of the spool.

When the thread is wound on a bobbin in a spinning operation, the fresh threads are tightly compressed and the subsequent washing and drying slightly agglutinate the filaments causing them to stick together. This adherence of the filaments frequently injures the filaments when the thread is unwound, even breaks the threads at times, and is especially detrimental in the case of the delicate fine denier filaments. In accordance with the invention, the package is face-driven at a uniform peripheral speed and at the same time the thread on the surfac of the package is given a kneading action which loosens the exterior layer of thread and facilitates its removal without injury to the filaments.

The invention contemplates the provision of an'improvedunwinding apparatus comprising a. driven belt arranged to engage the exterior of a thread package and to rotate the package as the thread is being unwound. The invention aims to provide an endless belt driven over two rollers and means to support the bobbin and its package upon the belt, whereby the belt will facedrive the package. The belt is preferably horizontally disposed beneath the bobbin and its package, and means are provided for slidably guiding the bobbin and package upward and downward as it is supported on the belt. The thread or threads, as the case may be, unwound from the face-driven package is delivered to one or more spools on which it is wound, preferably at about the same speed as it is unwound from the package.

These and other novel features of the invention will be better understood after considering the following discussion taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of an arrangement of apparatus embodying the invention, and

Fig. 2 is a front view of the apparatus of Fig. 1.

The apparatus illustrated in the drawing com- I prises a ring-twister machine I on which is mounted a supporting frame 2 for a pair of power-driven rollers 3 and 4, each mounted on a horizontally disposed driven shaft '5 and 6, respectively. A continuous belt 8 formed of any suitable material, for example of felt, canvas, or other woven material is placed over the rollers. The belt preferably has such a loose fit that there is an appreciable amount of slack, in the belt.

Th upright supporting arms I0 and II have upright slots l2 and iii to accommodate the eon pins or shafts l4 and IS on which the bobbin l8 rotates. The bobbin is of the type.

such as is used as a take-up device in the spinning of rayon and has an arbor I 1 fitted into its central opening. This arbor provides a bearing or mounting for the gudgeon pins. The bobbin, to ether with its thread packag I8, is placed in the position shown with the gudgeon pins freely slidable in a vertical direction in the slots, thus permitting the package l8 to be supported entirely upon the belt 8 and to move freely up and down. As shown in the drawing,

the package comprises two separate threads 20 and 2|. When the threads are to be given an oil-surface finish, they are led from the package over the rod 22, the oil wicks 23 and 24, the

rod 25 through the upper guides 26 and 21, the

, that heavy wicking approximately one-eighth of vantageously be covered with a knit rayon fabric to provide a belt with a smooth finish. I prefer to have such slack in the belt that the thread package is supported in a sort of cradl formed by the catenary of the belt. This provides an appreciable area of contact between the belt and the package and aids in imparting a kneading action to the exterior layers of the thread. In view of the slack ordinarily present in the belt, it is preferably driven by rotating both rollers 3 and 4 by means of the shafts 5 and 8 respectively. The belt may, however, be driven by rotating only one of the rollers.

When the belt a is driven at a uniform rate,

the threads 20 and 2| are delivered from the package l8 at a uniform'rate, since the package is face-driven by the belt and has a uniform peripheral speed. As the package diminishes in diameter, it moves downward, the pins I4 and I5 sliding in the slots l2 and I3 respectively.

Endless belts of the type described and illustrated have been run at speeds all the way from fifteen yards to two hundred yards per minute in the satisfactory unwinding of rayon threads from packages on bobbins. Among the advantages of the'method and apparatus of the invention are the smooth-and uniform delivery of thread from a package to a spool, or the like, and the elimination of the uneven tension and jerks which result in the unwinding of packages in present practices. The invention permits the unwinding of the most delicate fine-denier threads without any appreciable injury. The fine-denier threads, for example, may be delivered from the package to the spool at any desired tension, from an amount so slight as to be scarcely detectable, to the maximum permissible. and always at a uniform tension.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for unwinding a package of thread which comprises a frame, a pair of spaced guides in the frame, a bobbin of the type on which a package of thread is wound, a shaft on which the bobbin is rotatable, said shaft being freely. slidable upward and downward in the guides, an endless belt beneath the bobbin rotatable over two rollers at least one of which drives the belt, said guides and belt being so located that a package of thread on the bobbin will be supported on the belt and be rotated by the belt while the thread is being unwound, and means for recei ing thread unwound from the package.

2. Apparatus for unwinding a package of thread which comprises a frame, guide means in the frame, a bobbin of the'type on which a package of thread is wound, a shaft on which the bobbin is'rotatable, said shaft being freely slidable upward and downward in the guide means, an endless belt beneath the bobbin rotatable over two rollers at least one of which drives the belt, said guide means and belt being so located that a package of thread on the bobbin will engage th belt and be rotated by the belt while the thread is being unwound, and means for delivering thread from the package to the spool of a twister.

3. Apparatus for unwinding a rayon package having at least two separate threads wound on a bobbin which comprises a frame, guide means for slidably mounting the bobbin in the frame, a pair of spaced rollers at least one of which is power driven, an endless belt mounted over and arranged to be driven at a uniform rate by the pair of rollers. said frame, guide means for mounting the bobbin and belt being so arranged that the package on the bobbin is guided into pressed engagement with the belt and is facedriven by the belt during the entire unwinding of the package, means for separately twisting each thread unwound from the package, and means for winding each twisted thread on a separate spool.

4. In an apparatus for unwinding and twisting a plurality of separate threads of manufactured continuous filaments from a package having a plurality of separate threads on a single bobbin, the improvement which comrises a pair of spaced rollers at least one of which is power driven at a uniform rate, an endless fabric belt mounted over the rollers and driven thereby, means for mounting the bobbin with the periphery of the package in driving contact with the belt and maintaining the package in driving contact with the belt as the package diminishes in diameter, said belt having some slack which gives more than a line contact of the package with the belt whereby the belt applies a kneading action to the exterior layer of threads facilitating their unwinding, means for separately twisting each thread unwound from the package, and means for winding each twisted thread on a separate spool.

WILFRID B. COOPER. 

